Taylor spent 13 years as North Dakota State’s AD, leading the transition from Division II to Division I, where almost every sport there has succeeded, with the exception of women’s basketball. The football team has won five consecutive Football Championship Subdivision titles. Taylor, 58, who hails from Safford, Ariz., also worked for the Naval Academy. He has made no secret that his goal is to become a Power Five conference AD.

Tuesday, June 17, 2014

With Gene Taylor leaving Moo-U for the University of Iowa, one has to wonder if anything will have changed? Will UND and NDSU finally get to play in football? It will be interesting to see if NDSU will continue to insist on having all of the games at the Fargo Dome. Just for the record, UND went 6-0 against NDSU in all other sports. Obviously, NDSU is at the pinnacle of the FCS football ranks right now, but it would be awesome to see the two teams play again.

Tom Miller, Inforum.com -- Taylor’s move to deputy director of athletics at the University of Iowa – the newly created No. 2 position in the department – also breathes new life into the negotiations for the renewal of the University of North Dakota-NDSU football game.

The UND-Bison football rivalry has been on hold since 2003, when NDSU made the move up from Division II and UND stayed behind until joining the Division I ranks in 2007.

The recent negotiations between UND athletic director Brian Faison and Taylor certainly seemed to be at a stalemate, as was revealed by the Grand Forks Herald during an open records request of their email exchanges last month.

Tuesday, October 02, 2012

I know this isn't hockey related but it's kind of a big deal to the people of North Dakota. I am also going to get back to covering UND hockey starting tomorrow when I go to the Hockey media luncheon, that I promise you.

So, whether those in Fargo to include fans of the Bison Nation want to acknowledge this or not – this this kind of a big deal – these football players attempted to selfishly circumvented the election process – these guys attempted to defraud the state of North Dakota for personal gain. That is a serious deal – I don’t buy this crap about the players not really understanding what they did – that is absolute balderdash. These are adults and their actions have consequences and playing football for North Dakota State University is a privilege not a right – the Bison players in this case are also not the victims some have made them out to be.

If the NDSU coaching staff had just decided to suspend the players involved in this crime during the RMU game, this would have been over and it would have ended all of the speculation that has taken place since with each passing day.

Sunday, September 09, 2012

I think I got this figured out; the message coming out of Fargo, ND – if you’re an athlete at North Dakota State University – more specifically – if you’re a starter on the Bison football team – you don’t have to suffer the consequences for your actions. Apparently, being called out in the media for your moronic and buffoonish actions is considered suffering enough. I am going to say Barbra Streisand on this one.

Apparently, North Dakota State University officials don’t think that it’s a big deal to subvert elections laws and commit election fraud – sounds like the NDSU football coach doesn't feel that players on his team need to follow the rules that the rest of society follows.

Kevin Schnepf, INFORUM --- After the 6,000 Bison fans who made the trip to Fort Collins celebrated yet another win over a big-time opponent, they couldn’t help but wonder if any of the Bison players are going to eventually face suspensions for their involvement in the highly publicized petition fraud case.

“There are not going to be any suspensions,” Taylor emphatically said after the game. “These kids don’t deserve a suspension. I’m not going to suspend them and neither is Craig (head coach Craig Bohl). As far as we are concerned, it is over.”

This statement was made with NDSU President Dean Bresciani standing only a few feet away. Bresciani said he did not want to comment, saying he does not comment on inner-department matters.

This statement, no doubt, is going to add plenty of fodder for those who think the current 10 Bison players who were charged for forging names on petition drives should be suspended. There were even some Bison boosters at Saturday’s pregame tailgating festivities who were anticipating some sort of suspension once these players have their day in court.

“What’s going to happen in court, in my opinion, is going to be a lot less than what people think,” Taylor said. “At the end of the day, these kids have been through enough.”

All you have to do is read these quotes below by NDSU athletic director Gene Taylor – this is a text book definition of the arrogance by a public official – it’s also apparent that the NDSU athletic director is delusional and out of touch with reality. North Dakota State University is a public university that is paid for by public funds received from state income taxes, that the state of North Dakota assesses the good people of the great state of North Dakota – that means that the athletic department is accountable to us – the tax payers in North Dakota.

“It’s over,” Taylor reiterated. “They felt horrible, they felt horrible. Every day, their pictures are in the paper, day after day after day. It gets and old and it does get to them.

“They were villified many times over and to come out and perform like they did, it’s hats off to them. I’m tired of talking about it and I’m tired of seeing it in the paper. People need to move on because it’s not changin

Let’s look at it this way – you’re representatives of the defending FCS National Champion – players on your teams – some of which are starters (4) – committed a crime. That’s nothing to sneeze at – this isn’t a status offense – this is an actual Class Misdemeanor.

Thursday, May 17, 2012

NDSU won’t play UND until the Nickname issue is resolved… Small price to pay right, just like the NCAA sanctions being “manageable.” Wait, what? Someone must have gotten to NDSU, this can't be.

Really it’s a small price for keeping the Fighting Sioux nickname – screw them right! Who needs NDSU, they can go play someone else. Right! It’s really just a marginal and minor cost for keeping the Fighting Sioux nickname.

I am sure that some will say that Gene Taylor is lying – he can’t be telling the truth. I suppose others will accuse Taylor of folding and changing his view to appease Robert O. Kelley and Brian Faison. I suppose we will also have someone file a FOIA request to see what Gene Taylor knows and when he knew it… I can’t wait to read through all of Taylor’s email when they are posted on a blog somewhere in North Dakota. I can only imagine what else will be said.

Taylor said the schools have dates that would work in both years and that he and Faison talked by phone earlier this week about resuming the game. Taylor said both sides talked a few months ago on a few occasions, but communication stopped until UND could get its nickname situation resolved, he said.

“We don’t have a solid contract,” Taylor said.

I want to address a couple of issue that has come up on line a few times.

First off, no one from the University of North Dakota has ever asked me to write against the Fighting Sioux nickname. No one! It has never happened; not once. No one has ever asked me to change my stance on the Fighting Sioux nickname issue. Seriously! If the President of the United States of America is allowed to evolve on an issue, what can’t others?

No one from the University of North Dakota has ever dangled my press pass in front of me and said if you don’t parrot the University Line against the Fighting Sioux nickname, I would have that press pass pulled. UND has been great and nothing but professional with me.

I have also developed relationships with some at the University of North Dakota and they have been nothing but accommodating and personable, they go out of their way to help people from the press, media and writers. UND is a first class organization that I am proud to be an alumnus of (1996, 1999). I find it mind numbing that some people that don’t have all the information calling reputable alumni, coaches and great people liars and toadies.

Lastly, I love the Fighting Sioux nickname and I think it’s the best logo in all of college sports or professional sports – nothing that they replace the Fighting Sioux nickname with will ever be good enough in my opinion. I have never wavered from that opinion, but like other Alumni that have actually attended class at the University of North Dakota, I know that UND can’t go on forever with the Fighting Sioux nickname and I don’t want to see the University hurt by the sanctions.